Daily 3: 12.06.03

Published on December 06, 11:42 AM

DON’T YOU DO IT, EKU FANS! I know what you’re thinking. You took VCU to overtime on the road, Belmont lost to VCU by double-digits at home, so EKU > Belmont. You can’t just compare a single, like opponent. Teams have good and bad days. Injures were a factor last Sunday. Some teams match up better with others. Was last night enouraging? Yes. Does it prove anything? No. Belmont has a win at North Carolina. You have a horrendous loss at NC State. Again, last night was hugely encouraging, and the East Division race could be a lot of fun this year, as the Colonels and Bruins will matchup at least twice, if not a third in March.

Tennessee Tech was locked in another free-throw shooting contest last night, and I’m still not ready to blame the new rules. It’s the same teams that keep getting locked in these type of games. If it were seemingly random, where every team had nights like this, I would. How come Austin Peay isn’t having the same problems? Or SEMO? Eastern Kentucky and Belmont as well are avoiding these kind of games. I’m not saying there aren’t going to be night whistles are heavier than others. But the same teams keep having the same problems. That’s not a rules issue, that’s not a referee issue. It’s a team issue. You have to be able to defend without fouling. We’re nearly a month into the year, and adjustments should be being made.

For the first day since the season started, there’s no OVC basketball today. So, instead, I’ll about the World Cup. What, you don’t come here for my deep and entertaining thoughts on international soccer? That’s tough. Here’s the thing I like about the USA’s horrible, no good, really bad group: they start with Ghana. If the US isn’t ready for that game, against the team that knocked them out four years ago, they’re not ready to play in the World Cup, period. And, if you can start with a win, the momentum may carry over. And two wins (likely) gets you out of the group.